


baby, it's cold outside

by captainegg



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Drabble Collection, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, I've got it all, M/M, Poetry, RWRB Winterfest 2020, Roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:00:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27778759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainegg/pseuds/captainegg
Summary: A collection of all my drabbles for the RWRB Winterfest 2020!
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Comments: 62
Kudos: 96
Collections: RWRB Winterfest 2020





	1. Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> I'm taking on yet another project but I do love me some good drabbles and fics with winter-y vibes ☃️ Let's see how many prompts I'll manage to do 😌
> 
> Come say hi on my [tumblr](https://im-captain-egg.tumblr.com/)! 💙

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> day 1
> 
> prompt: mistletoe  
> rated: T  
> tags: and they were roommates, first kiss, fluff and humour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy December 1st, everyone! ☃️

Alex has a plan. A very risky one but he’s willing to risk it all. _All_ meaning his friendship with his roommate, Henry. 

He and Henry have been living together for two years now and being around the other drives Alex completely crazy. But in a good way. In a way that makes his heart flutter and cheeks burn with crimson heat whenever their hands accidentally brush or when Henry walks around shirtless after his shower.

They had a rough start, arguing and bickering a lot but now, Henry’s snarky and teasing comments are one of Alex’s favourite things about sharing a flat with the Brit.

He stopped by the flower shop around the corner after class to purchase a mistletoe. Simple yet effective. 

His plan is as follows: make dinner for him and Henry, hang up the mistletoe in the living room above the sofa and then invite Henry to watch a movie with him. At one point, Alex will casually point out that there is a mistletoe hanging above them and that they should probably kiss, honouring tradition and all. 

The plan is foolproof.

Technically.

What if Henry doesn’t show up? He has the tendency to stay at the library or the coffee shop on campus for hours after his last lecture. What if today is such a day? Alex is convinced that if it were such a day, Henry would give him a head-ups in form of a call or text. But what if he forgot?

What if Henry doesn’t even like him the way Alex likes Henry? Alex has contemplated this _a lot_. He has made lists upon lists, analyzing things Henry has said to him or messages and photos he has sent him over the past months. The chances of Henry liking Alex back is 78% which is more than enough for Alex. The worst thing that could happen is rejection.

But what if Henry actually rejects him? Alex has made a list for that, too. He will pretend that it’s just a joke at first and then use the emergency bag from under his bed to leave the city, maybe even the country with a new identity. It’s the only way.

Alex shakes his head and leaves his boots and jacket by the door and makes his way into the living room where he climbs onto the sofa and sticks the mistletoe provisionally to the ceiling with tape before he gets in the kitchen and prepares dinner for him and Henry.

When Henry gets to their apartment, Alex has just finished cooking and places two steaming bowls of pasta on their small kitchen table by the window.

Henry looks stunning, of course, he does. His nose and cheeks are red from the cold and snowflakes sit in his sandy hair like a crown. He wears jeans with an oversized sweater and a button-up underneath, collar peeking out at the top.

“You cooked,” he says, surprised.

Alex laughs and gestures for Henry to sit down. “Of course I did. Otherwise, you would have forced me to eat kale again and I really can’t do that more than once a month.”

Henry chuckles and takes a seat across from Alex. "That's fair."

Henry talks about his day on campus, tells Alex how delicious the coffee was that he had this morning, how much he enjoyed his class on queer literature and how beautiful the city looked in the evening sun.

“Wanna watch a movie?” Alex asks as they’re doing the dishes.

Henry hands him a bowl, their fingers brushing, and hums. “Sure. Who’s pick is it today?”

“Yours.”

“Very well. Wilde it is then,” Henry says and hands Alex the second bowl.

“Again?” Alex whines, taking the bowl from him and drying it off before returning it to its place in the cupboard.

Henry just raises an eyebrow at him with a grin. “It’s my turn to pick, after all. Unless you want to use your veto.” Henry has the audacity to wink at him.

"No," Alex grumbles and dries off his hands before he follows Henry over into their living room.

He’s not mad or annoyed that Henry wants to watch the same movie over and over again. He likes the movie, enjoys it even but the actor playing Bosie looks a little too much like Henry for his liking and often leaves Alex with a raging boner and a crimson blush on his cheeks.

He's not Henry, Alex reminds himself as he sits down. Precociously, Alex covers his crotch with a blanket.

The movie begins and Alex finds himself fidgeting a lot more than usual. He feels unnerved, restless, glancing up at the mistletoe more times than he needs to.

Henry seems to notice and stops the movie before he turns to look at Alex with a worried expression. “What’s wrong?” he asks. “You’re being a lot worse than usual.”

Alex isn’t sure if that’s an insult or not but he starts speaking before he can make up his mind about it. “It’s nothing. Well, it is something, definitely not nothing, but it’s a bit embarrassing. See, I had this big plan to ask out a guy but then I felt bad about it because he was crying that day because he was so stressed out and then I had this other plan with mistletoe and maybe he would like to kiss me but now I feel like that’s a very bad idea.”

“Oh, that does explain the mistletoe. I was wondering how it got there,” Henry says with a grin.

Alex just stares at him, blushing hard. “I, uh,” he stammers. “No idea how that got here,” he says and sinks further into the sofa cushions, covering his face with his hands. I want to die, Alex thinks.

“Well, there’s something I wanted to show you too,” Henry says and Alex peeks through his fingers and spots, to his surprise, a faint blush sitting on Henry’s cheeks. He gets up and quickly returns with a _fucking mistletoe_.

They sit in awkward silence for a moment before Alex clears his throat. But before he can say anything, Henry leans forward, gently cupping Alex’s face and shyly pressing his lips against Alex’s. 

And Alex, well, he just lets his eyes flutter shut and melts into the warmth of Henry’s hands. Henry's lips are soft and warm just like Alex imagined them to be. Henry slowly brushes his thump across Alex's cheekbone and the simple touch sends a violent, core-shaking shiver down his spine coaxing a chuckle out of Henry. The sound is heavenly to Alex's ear and he can't help the big smile that's spreading across his face. Their noses brush against each other softly, foreheads pressed together.

This has to be the best first kiss Alex has ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments and kudos are as always very much appreciated 💙
> 
> Come say hi on [tumblr](https://im-captain-egg.tumblr.com/) ☃️


	2. Hot Chocolate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> day 2
> 
> prompt: hot chocolate  
> rated: T  
> tags: poetry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To better understand this, please check out [this tumblr post](https://im-captain-egg.tumblr.com/post/636390379784175616/rwrb-winterfest-2020-day-2-hot-chocolate). But it's basically part of an AU I was musing about where Henry and Bea run a coffee shop and Alex comes in and orders a hot chocolate with whipped cream every time. This is a poem Henry writes for him ☕
> 
> Is this good poetry? Probably not but I had a lot of fun with it.

_you warm my heart  
like hot chocolate on a cold winter day  
_ _you melt away what i have created  
the walls and chains and masks  
to keep me safe  
_ _from all the cold there is in the world_

_the world  
you are my world  
have turned into it  
no  
you're so much more  
from a colliding star to the centre of my universe_

_you are the sun  
radiating warmth and comfort  
in your presence, i melt  
it is your touch i seek  
it is your affection that i crave  
more than the air i breath  
_

_you are the moon  
bright in the dark night  
to you i turn  
in awe of your beauty  
i reach up and up  
_ _but am never close enough_

_you are the stars  
freckled gold  
i stare and stare  
but can never comprehend  
the beauty  
with which you guide me_

_i fear no longer  
the darkest night  
the brightest day  
because you are  
by my side  
warm and bright and beautiful_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments and kudos are as always very much appreciated 💙
> 
> Come say hi on [tumblr](https://im-captain-egg.tumblr.com/) ☃️


	3. Knitting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> day 3
> 
> prompt: knitting  
> rated: T  
> tags: fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter one for today because I'm tired and exhausted 😴

It’s a tradition that his Abuela sends him a parcel stuffed with candy, knitted sweaters and fuzzy socks during Christmas time. This year is the first year that Alex finds something in there for Henry too.

His grandparents have probably been the most supportive of Alex. Especially his Abuela likes to tell all her friends of her grandson who got engaged to an actual prince and invites him and Henry over regularly for dinner. She has more pictures of him and Henry on her tiny smartphone than Alex and Henry combined. "I'm royalty now," she likes to say and then dance through her small kitchen with his Abuelito.

Excitedly, he pulls on his new sweater, the red wool is soft and warm on his skin, and then Alex sprints through the living room and down the hallway to their office where Henry has been busy the entire morning with paperwork.

“Look, Henry!” Alex practically yells as he barges through the door and points at his new sweater with an excited grin. “Look what my Abuela made me!”

Henry looks up from his desk and takes off his glasses, placing them on his desk with a smile. “You look great, honey,” he says.

Alex beams at him and swirls around to make sure that Henry gets a good look at it. 

Henry chuckles and shakes his head, turning to put his glasses back on but Alex quickly stops him by practically throwing the sweater at him. 

“She made one for you too,” he says, bouncing across the room.

“Wait, for me?” Henry asks, carefully picking up the sweater from his desk. “But why?” Henry looks surprised, eyes wide. He carefully thumbs over the small gold H embroidered on the left sleeve.

“Because you’re part of the family now, idiot. We are engaged, after all,” Alex says with a bright smile and watches as Henry carefully puts on the sweater.

It looks good on him. Tightly fitted yet not too tight, fitting nicely around his arms and shoulders, a little looser down the chest. The sweater is a soft, blue colour with accents of white, complimenting is eyes and Alex has to stop in his tracks for a second because _holy shit_.He's going to marry that guy one day. 

Henry ruffles an ink-stained hand through his hair and puts his glasses back on before he lifts his head and looks at Alex again. “What do you think?” A shy smile curls the corner of his lips upward and it makes Alex feel all fuzzy inside.

“You look stunning,” Alex says and walks over to Henry and sits down on his laps, lacing his arms around Henry’s neck and giving his nose a small peck.

Henry laughs and wraps his arms around Alex’s hips and pulls him into a soft and gentle kiss while the snow continues to fall outside the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments and kudos are as always very much appreciated 💙
> 
> Come say hi on [tumblr](https://im-captain-egg.tumblr.com/) ☃️


	4. Cold Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> day 4
> 
> prompt: cold hands  
> rating: T  
> tags: cuddling, fluff, David

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one ☃️

It’s been a long day and Alex is more than happy to escape the snowy streets of NYC. 

His hands are fucking cold and it’s all Henry’s fault. They were both running late and before Alex even realized it, Henry was out of the door and gone with  _ his  _ gloves. Alex spent the next five minutes frantically searching for Henry’s gloves but no success. He concluded that either Henry is a lot messier than he thought or David stole them and hid them somewhere around the apartment. Alex would have to investigate later.  


His fingertips slowly start to turn blue and his dry skin is tearing in places, the cold air leaving an uncomfortable sting.

Back in their apartment, Alex remains still for a second, soaking in the warmth with a sigh. He strips out of his coat and kicks off his boots before he makes his way down the hallway, searching for Henry.

He finds him sprawled out on the sofa with David on his lap, reading a book. It’s a very domestic scene that Alex looks forward to every single day. Except for today because his hands are fucking cold and he needs a fucking hug.

He sneaks up on Henry and, with a chuckle, shoves his cold hands down the back of Henry’s sweater. The other yelps, startling poor David who has been peacefully napping.

“Bloody hell,” Henry says and hits Alex softly with his book. “Why are your hands so cold?”

“Because you,” Alex rounds the sofa and sits down beside Henry, “stole my gloves this morning.”

“Oh,” Henry says.

“Yes, oh.” Alex pulls his legs up to his chest and cuddles up against Henry’s side. He can hear his boyfriend's heart, a steady rhythm, a calming lullaby.  


Henry puts the book down and puts an arm around Alex, pulling him closer under the fuzzy blanket. “Better?” he asks, his hand slowly rubbing up and down Alex’s arm and placing light kisses on his snowflake-covered hair.

Alex nods. He can slowly start to feel his toes and fingers again and if he’s being honest, maybe forgetting your gloves isn’t too bad when it leads to more cuddle time with Henry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments and kudos are as always very much appreciated 💙
> 
> Come say hi on [tumblr](https://im-captain-egg.tumblr.com/) ☃️
> 
> I have always cold hands, especially during winter. What about you?


	5. Fireplace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> day 14
> 
> prompt: fireplace  
> rating: T  
> tags: fluff, David

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a bit of a break for a couple of reasons but here I am again!

Alex sits by the fireplace, legs stretched out on the sofa with David resting his head on his legs. The fire crackles, painting the otherwise dark living room in soft and warm colours. 

It’s a late December night, snow falls heavily outside the large windows and paints the sleeping city in glittering white, a soft blanket.

Henry is still away, doing charity work in the UK. He does a lot of charity work all year round but especially during Christmas time. There are hospitals and retirement homes and animal shelters and youth homes. It’s something Alex has always admired about Henry. The dedication, the love and the patience he has for all the charities and all the places he visits while also being the Prince of Wales _and_ Alex's boyfriend.

Alex wanted to join him two weeks ago but fell incredibly ill and had only recently recovered.

Alex puts his book down and takes off his glasses. He’s tried, eyes heavy with exhaustion but he’s determined to stay awake. Henry promised to be back home by tonight and Alex wants to stay awake to welcome him back home.

He knows how exhausting it is for Henry to be away from him. He doesn’t sleep as good when Alex is not by his side and neither does Alex. He spends most of his night tossing and turning, reaching for Henry in his sleep but finding Henry’s side of the mattress cold and empty.

He yawns and pets David’s head with a smile, scratching him behind his ear the way Alex knows David likes. “You’re probably just as excited to see your dad again, huh?” David lifts his head and excitedly wags his tail. Alex chuckles.

By the time the front door unlocks, Alex has fallen asleep with David snug against his chest, the fireplace crackling quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments and kudos are as always very much appreciated 💙
> 
> Come say hi on [tumblr](https://im-captain-egg.tumblr.com/) ☃️


End file.
